


It's Going to Be Alright

by gingerrrella



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M, My First AO3 Post
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-22
Updated: 2018-03-22
Packaged: 2019-04-06 08:14:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14052735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingerrrella/pseuds/gingerrrella
Summary: What happens when Adam found out he didn't get into his number 1 school.





	It's Going to Be Alright

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic, so please be kind! Also, I sat here trying to think up a good title for, like, 10 minutes, and that's the best I got.
> 
> Please leave kudos/comments if you liked it! :

Ronan had not heard from Adam since he left for work this morning, and that’s fine. Really. Adam had work and Ronan had shit to dream up in the Big Barn Where No One Was Allowed to Go, but Adam was supposed to have gotten off at 4, and it was currently 6:30, and yes it was a nice March day, so, really, Adam could have just biked home to get clothes or something because he was supposed to be coming back that night to spend the night at the Barns on a real mattress.

            But, damn it, Ronan was _worried._

            So Ronan called Boyd’s, because Adam still refused to let anyone (Gansey) buy him a phone, nor would he let anyone (Ronan) dream him one.

            Boyd answered on the third ring.

            “Hey, uh, is Par—Adam there?” Ronan grunted.

            “No, he left at about 4:15.”

            _Great._

            Ronan hung up the phone without so much as a “goodbye” because that two-line conversation over the phone had already started to give him a migraine. Without a second thought, he grabbed his keys, a jacket, and his shoes, and headed out to his car in the driveway.

            _I’m not worried,_ he told himself. _Adam’s fine. There’s no need to worry, but hey, it’s a nice day, and a drive sounds good, and if I just happen to end up at Parrish’s, that would just be a happy accident._

He pulled into the lot of St. Agnes and saw Adam’s bike tethered to a post outside. Ronan’s hands instantly relaxed from their white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel.

            _I should just go,_ he thought. _Parrish is fine. If I go up now, it’ll just be weird_.

            But something told him he should go. So, he did.

            He climbed the creaky old stairs and knocked softly on the door with two knuckles. He heard nothing, so he let himself in with the key Adam had given him a few months back _. For emergencies,_ Adam had chided. This seemed close enough to one to justify using it.

            The room was dark, lit only by the soft evening light streaming through the closed blinds. His eyes scanned the room for signs of distress, for signs of Adam. His gaze finally rested on a lump on the mattress on the floor.

            “Adam,” he breathed.

            Adam turned his head to look back at Ronan. His gaze was solemn.

            “Hey,” Adam said softly.

            “Where the hell were you? I thought you were coming right back after work. I was scared shitless.” He stopped suddenly, taking in the scene before him. “Why are you in bed?”

            Still facing the wall, Adam through a careless arm back, and in his hand was a piece of paper, crumpled from lying in bed with him. Ronan crossed the room and took it. At the top was a familiar Ivy League insignia, and below it read:

           

            _Dear Mr. Parrish,_

_We regret to inform you that…_

            Ronan didn’t read any more. He didn’t have to. He knew what it said.

            “Adam,” he breathed again, softer this time.

            “Sorry I didn’t wait to read it with you. I know you said to, but I saw it when I got home to grab some clothes to spend the night and I saw it in my mail box, and… got so excited when I saw it that I had to open it right away.”

            Ronan laughed.

            “You’re apologizing to me? Parrish, I—“ Adam rolled over to face him. His eyes were red and puffy. Ronan stopped. Sighing, he took off his shoes and climbed into bed with Adam, facing him in the dim light. They didn’t speak for several minutes. Ronan brushed Adam’s hair behind his ear and thought of something to say.

            After about 10 minutes of deliberation, he landed on, “Fuck them.”

            “Ronan…”

            “No seriously. Fuck them. You busted your ass for your whole fucking life, your GPA is almost perfect, and your essay was flawless. I read that shit 12 times. You took an extra class on the scientific method, for God’s sake!”

            Adam just shrugged.

            “I guess I didn’t take enough extra curriculars. Schools like to see those.”

            “Sorry, you were busy tracking down a sleeping Welsh king and sacrificing yourself to a magical sentient forest to join the chess club. Doesn’t that count as an extra-curricular?”

            “Not really.”

            Ronan let out an exasperated huff. They fell back into silence. Ronan’s fingers continued to brush through Adam’s hair.

            Eventually, Adam spoke.

            “I guess I’m not good enough.” It was so quiet, Ronan though he’d imagined it at first. Adam’s voice was on the verge of breaking.

            “Parrish, what?”  Adam didn’t open his eyes, nor did he make a move to clarify. “Fucking look at me.”

            He did.

            “What?” Ronan demanded again.

            “I said—“

            “No, I know what you fucking said, I want to know what the fuck gave you the impression that that was a conclusion to come to.”

            Adam just shrugged again.

            “I mean, I didn’t get in. There had to be some reason. I guess I’m just,” he let out a shaky sigh and closed his eyes again. “Not good enough.”

            Ronan’s heart broke. No—Ronan’s heart _shattered_.

            He loved Adam so much, so damn much he thought it might rip him open from the inside out most of the time. Adam worked to the point that Ronan feared that he would have semi-permanent muscle damage, studied to the point of utter exhaustion, pushed himself to almost un-human feats, and still maintained his 3.98 GPA. Adam was so beautiful, so kind, so _good_. So utterly enough, so far past enough, so much more than Ronan knew he deserved, that hearing him say these words out loud made him want to put his fist through a wall, specifically a brick wall on a campus in Connecticut.

            “Adam. Adam, look at me.”  

            He opened his eyes again.

            “Listen to me. You are enough.”

            Adam snorted in derision.

            “I’m serious. Do I lie? Have I ever lied to you?”

            He had not, and Adam knew this, and he knew Adam knew this, so he continued, “This is nothing. That school has its head up its pretentious ass and obviously would not recognize genius if it punched it in the face. You are, without a doubt, the most intelligent, most driven, most amazing person I know. So, they didn’t let you in. Big fucking whoop. Somewhere else will. Hell, lots of other places will. This is minor. This is nothing. There are 7 other Ivy League schools. You’re going to go to one of those, and make this piece of shit school feel bad they ever said no to Adam Goddamn Parrish. Okay?”

            Adam lips pressed against one another and his eyes filled with tears. “Okay,” he whispered.

            “Come here.” Ronan pulled Adam close to his chest and let him bury his face there. Adam made no sound as he cried, but Ronan felt his shirt soak through with tears. Adam shook just slightly and Ronan combed his fingers through his hair again.

            After what felt like hours, Adam stilled in Ronan’s arms and pulled back with a sigh. He looked Ronan in the eyes.

            “Thank you.”

            Ronan kissed Adam’s forehead. “I love you.”

            Adam rubbed a hand over his eyes and nodded. He didn’t need to say it back, Ronan knew, and he said it so Adam would know, not so Adam would say it back. Adam sighed again.

            “I’m fucking starving. Can we get something to eat?”

            “Sure,” Ronan said, happy that Adam was better, for now. “I was going to make lasagna tonight.”

            “Oh, you’re cooking? Never mind, I already ate. I’m not hungry,” Adam teased with a small smile.

            “Asshole,” Ronan shot back with no heat. “Fine, then starve. See if I care.” Adam chucked softly and Ronan mirrored him.

            Everything was going to be okay.

           


End file.
